Pinkie: Artist’s Color War Against Mattel’s Barbie

For only $34.99 you can own a “5 fl oz (150ml) of the flattest, mattiest highly pigmented fluorescent pink acrylic paint.” The product, PINKIE – THE BARBIEST PINK, is part of the latest protest work by artist Stuart Semple. Semple —a multidisciplinary artist who is known for his social activist engagement— has chosen Mattel as his most recent target for his project “Liberated Colours.”

Semple is responding to the recent news that Mattel has trademarked “Barbie Pink,” giving the corporation exclusive rights to distribute the signature color. If the color is used without permission of Mattel then those individuals face the threat of litigation for patent infringement.

In a recent interview with Artnet News, Semple explained his reasoning behind the product. “Nobody should own a color. Nature has already made all the colors, and corporations claiming them is just completely and utterly ridiculous.” Besides the money the toy company receives from licensing, for Semple, “a corporation that is making billions of dollars at a time when artists and creators are really, really struggling.”

Therefore, this “blend high-quality acrylic resins, optical brighteners, and new fluorescent pigments” will provide artists and creatives the opportunity to use the Pinkie for personal use, all without the fear of legal response. In a time when limitations are continuing to be put on artists by corporations, Semple is fighting back with his own creativity.

The product includes a cheeky note at the bottom: “*By adding this product to your cart you confirm that you are not Mattel, the owners of the Barbie brand, you are in no way affiliated to Mattel, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Mattel or an associate of Mattel. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this material will not make its way into the hands of Mattel.”